Caerphilly County Borough schools urged to recycle batteries

Pupils from Fochriw Primary School launching the battery recycling scheme, together with Cllr Lyn Ackerman and the Mayor Cllr Vera Jenkins and her husband Robert

Schools in Caerphilly County Borough are being encouraged to sign up to a new initiative to increase battery recycling.

The scheme, which was launched at Fochriw Primary School starts in January 2012, and makes it easy for pupils, staff and parents to get involved in saving thousands of waste batteries from landfill.

Forty-four schools across the borough have registered to take part so far.

Competing schools have taken up the challenge to see how many batteries they can collect. Prizes have been provided for the best schools.

Cllr Lyn Ackerman, cabinet member for public services and housing, said: “Only 5% of the UK’s batteries are currently being recycled, so the more we can encourage schools to recycle them the better it is for our environment and it keeps them out of landfill.”